Chapter 22: Ding Jiu

"Old Black, why are you here? My woman is going crazy, so I won't invite you in to sit."

Ding Jiu's eyes were a bit evasive. The two had been in the A-Qu Garrison for five years. He knew Du Du Du Sanye went to the Black Man's house last night, but he didn't dare to show his face to see.

"Ah Jiu, I'm here to borrow some money." The Black Man got straight to the point.

Ding Jiu had long guessed the Black Man's intention. Du Du Du Sanye came and left, so the Black Man must be here to borrow money! He hurriedly said the excuse he had thought of beforehand:

"It's not that I won't lend it to you. You know my woman is a spendthrift, my son was sick a while ago, I lost a few bets yesterday, my father-in-law bought a batch of chestnuts, and this old man, you know, now that grain prices have risen, no one has spare money to eat chestnuts..."

Ding Jiu chattered a lot and finally sighed: "If you had borrowed money from me two months ago, I could have squeezed out some, but now I really can't take it out."

The Black Man's tone was sincere: "Ah Jiu, this money isn't for me, but for Young Master Wang. If you are willing to lend it, even 1,000 coins, I guarantee I will pay you back, and Young Master Wang will definitely remember your favor."

Ah Jiu was shocked: "You're still following Young Master Wang! You saw the situation in that Shoukang Lane the other day! People wouldn't even let him in the door! They wouldn't even say a word to him! That guy is either a liar or a down-and-out person! Now he's clearly trying to bluff you out of money! Don't get fooled again!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, looked left and right, and lowered his voice:

"Let me tell you, after I went home, the more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Robbers robbing the Langya Wang family, how big a deal is that? Why didn't he report it to the officials? And it was so coincidental, he didn't have any proof on him! I think his identity is problematic. Maybe he's not from the Langya Wang family! Maybe he's not even a gentry! Didn't you see our captain and the clerk hiding? If his identity wasn't problematic, could they have left? They would have flattered him long ago! Still leaving it for you to flatter?"

The Black Man shook his head: "Actually, I flatter him not because of his gentry identity."

"This lie might fool outsiders, but it's meaningless to say it to me." Ding Jiu didn't believe it at all.

"Really. Or maybe not entirely because of this. I don't know if he's true or false, but just based on his explanation of the Yongming reign title, just based on him being dressed in rags and having no proof documents, yet being able to make our captain and clerk not dare to underestimate him in a few words, just based on him turning the situation around in a few words and making the squad leader kill those two Northern spies who bit him back, I feel he has ability and is not an ordinary person."

The Black Man said earnestly: "Ah Jiu, think about it. Let's not talk about whether he's gentry or not. You and I will probably never meet such a person in our lifetime. Even if we meet him, if he wasn't in trouble, would we have a chance to know him? Don't you often complain that you don't have a chance to get ahead? Now the opportunity is here, why don't you know how to grasp it?"

The Black Man's words made Ding Jiu waver, and he hesitated: "Then... how much money does he want to borrow."

"It's not him borrowing, it's me borrowing. I want to borrow 1,500." The Black Man felt he couldn't add any more external debt to Young Master Wang.

"1,500!" Ding Jiu's eyes widened, "What are you borrowing so much for? Building a house!"

"I can't say what it's for, anyway it's useful to Young Master Wang. If you are willing to lend it, I will go back and tell Young Master Wang that this is Ding Jiu's money. Whether to lend it or not is up to you."

Ding Jiu struggled for a while and said: "Wait for me here." Then he went home.

The Black Man heard a woman's quarrel coming from Ding Jiu's house.

After a long while, Ding Jiu came out with a small cloth bag, smiled unnaturally, and said: "I'm really tight on money, I only have 500."

The Black Man thought 500 was 500, borrowing a little was better than nothing.

"Good, I will definitely pay you back later! Should we sign a contract?"

"No need for a contract, but you have to let Young Master Wang promise me one thing."

"What thing?"

"Help me get out of the military register."

The Black Man felt speechless: "Ah Jiu, what are you thinking? Even if you take 10,000 coins to find someone to get out of the military register, do you have that connection? Things that 10,000 coins can't handle, you want to handle it by borrowing 500?"

Ding Jiu said shamelessly: "If he can help me get out of the military register, then the 500 doesn't need to be paid back! I can add another 2,000!"

"Things aren't done like this! You spend money to get out of the military register so openly, who would agree if it were on them?! And adding 2,000, you think it's buying something?! I don't even need to ask, Young Master Wang definitely won't agree."

Ding Jiu pouted: "You're afraid he doesn't have the ability to help me get out of the military register."

The Black Man was indeed thinking this.

Because he had mentioned the military register in front of Wang Yang and said that Ah Wu was a military family girl, but Young Master didn't take the topic. Looking at it, it might be beyond his ability. It was true, the court managed it strictly now, and the military register was not so easy to get out of.

"Whether he has the ability is one thing, let's talk about reason. If you are spending money to find someone to handle this, don't say 2,000, even 20,000 won't work! If you want to handle it, you can only rely on human favors. Since it's relying on human favors, you have to pay first. You only borrowed 500 and you're making demands, isn't this a joke?"

Ding Jiu said unhappily: "I can't just get nothing for nothing! What if I lend it to him and he can't help at all?"

The Black Man remembered Ding Jiu's gambling habit and said: "This is gambling. If you are willing to bet 500 to gamble on an opportunity, then you lend it. If you are not willing, don't lend it. Whether to place this bet or not, and how much to bet, is all up to you!"

Seeing Ding Jiu still hesitating, the Black Man turned and left.

"Old Black! Don't be in a hurry, I didn't say I wouldn't lend it!" Ding Jiu hurriedly grabbed the Black Man, "500 coins, all for you, check it, remember to tell Young Master Wang when you go back that this is the money I lent."

Afraid that the Black Man would take the credit, he added: "Wait until I finish my work, I'll go see Young Master Wang."

After the Black Man left, Ding Jiu pondered the Black Man's words, suddenly ran into the house, and went to open the chest in a hurry. His wife tried her best to block him with her body: "What are you doing?! Just took 500! What do you want again!"

Ding Jiu pushed his wife away: "If I want to gamble, I'll gamble big! I'll take another 2,000!"

His wife pounced on Ding Jiu like crazy, fighting, and shouted: "If you dare to move a single coin today, I'll fight you to the death! This life won't be lived!"

After a fight and quarrel, Ding Jiu sat on the ground in despair, holding his crying son in his arms, feeling that life was meaningless. The "additional bet" matter was also ruined.

As the winner of this big battle, his wife could never have imagined that this matter would become a handle for her husband for the rest of his life.

The Black Man took the hairpin to Lisi's house and traded it for 200 coins. Adding his total savings of 200 coins and the 500 coins just borrowed, he barely scraped together 900. He wanted to take items from his home to trade for money, but was stopped by Wang Yang: "900 and 1,000 are not much different. Besides, I still have the 33 coins you gave me before, so let's do it, let's go to Jingzhou city now."

Ah Wu raised her head, full of expectation: "Can Young Master also take me to see it? I haven't been to the city yet!"

Wang Yang thought that this was a serious matter, and it was inconvenient to take a child, so he said: "Next time, next time I'll take you to the city to play."

Seeing Ah Wu's disappointed look, Wang Yang's heart softened: "When I come back, I'll bring you candy."

"Re... really?" Ah Wu raised her head suddenly, looking at Wang Yang in shock.

Wang Yang couldn't deeply understand what candy meant to children in poor families in this era.

Not to mention poor families, even ordinary families rarely ate candy. Occasionally, they couldn't afford cane sugar or honey, and could only eat maltose.

Maltose is made by boiling down the sprouts (also called "nie" in ancient times) of grains like rice, barley, and wheat. In previous years, A-Wu could only eat a soft candy called "glue-tooth maltose" during the New Year, but with the sharp rise in grain prices in Jingzhou this year, sugar prices have also soared, and it is uncertain whether he will even be able to eat it this New Year.